unyon:The Man Who Laughs: Well maybe I should have said similar medical standards. I don't know much at all about american spending, but I can tell you for sure I'd rather be treated by an american hospital than a Mexican one.

Speak for yourself. I've had outstanding care in Mexico. Near where my place is down there, they recently built a huge new hospital specifically catering to medical tourism.

Medical tourism? Is that where you watch a donkey show while having your spleen removed?

Mike Chewbacca:My sister in law just tonight posted on Facebook that she doesn't like the government telling her what to do (which in this case meant buy health insurance). Neither of her adult children have health insurance because it's too expensive and their employers don't offer it. Her grandchildren are on Medicaid. She and my brother were on welfare back when they first got married (she had a kid from a prior relationship--got knocked up at 16). Now, I fully believe in tax-funded safety nets. We have them because life is hard and shiat happens. I don't begrudge her her history of welfare (like the extreme majority of recipients, they got off it as soon as possible), and I don't begrudge her grand kids their Medicaid; it's not their fault their (divorced) parents' employers don't offer insurance. But for her to biatch about the government telling her what to do when her family has directly benefited from it, well, fark her and her hypocrisy.

I have a great idea! We should destroy the economy and eliminate the ability of many, many small to medium sized businesses to remain viable and competitive in an unproven and ill fated attempt to provide "high quality" health care to all!